Hey, I’m Myles. We may know each other, or this may be your first time stumbling upon me in the leafy abundance of the online forest. I’m here writing to you from my apartment in Ridgewood, Queens in New York City. I’m a 29 year-old writer, realtor and model. My mission for this blog is to offer original, inspirational content to help people feel better everyday.
I came from a rural upbringing in small-town Vermont. My parents were a blue collar gardener and carpenter, who suffered from the disease of alcoholism, which inevitably took both their lives. I witnessed domestic abuse and the tragic consequences of addiction from an early age. I saw what happened when addiction took over my parents, and trust me it wasn’t pretty.
In spite of all the obstacles in my early life, I’ve always been steadfastly resourceful and driven. I’ve never let anyone tell me I couldn’t have my dream life. I grew up watching reality tv shows about the modeling industry and became hooked at 15. That was my escape and that was how I was going to “get out.” It became an obsession, a fantasy that never died. I remember when I moved to Providence, RI right after graduating college I would fall asleep every night to an imagined Manhattan skyline view. I literally visualized my way into my dream life.
I found my way out of my dysfunctional upbringing by going to college, getting my degree and pushing myself in the direction of my dreams one step at a time. I’m now a working model in New York City, which has always been my dream since I was a kid, and have been blessed with a successful real estate career as well. I endured many scams on my journey to become a working model over the past 15 years, so if there’s anything I can do to help aspiring models make their way through the industry, it would truly be my privilege to help, inform and guide.
When I first moved to New York and was working as a waiter on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, I’d meditate and repeat over and over to myself “money comes easily and frequently to me through known and unknown sources,” then boom one day I got into real estate. Being an independent contractor with the ability to take off on a modeling job at a moment’s notice — being able to control my time — is one of the biggest gifts I’ve ever been blessed with. I’ve found a way to make this thing work for me, and I can help you, too.
In this blog I’ll go deep, tell you how I “did it,” meaning achieved some semblance of my childhood dream and maintained my motivation for the long haul. And, more importantly, how I stayed sane, healthy and happy. I’ll also take you on my journey through grief, loss and all the fucked up bullshit you can imagine from a dysfunctional alcoholic upbringing in a rural area. My message to anyone suffering in this type of a situation is you can get out, you just have to stay focused. All we have are our minds — almost regardless of the circumstances, the mind will find a way if it’s extremely focused. If you feel powerless, trust me, I get it. I’ve been there and I know it’s like being in prison, but not being able to tell anyone. I’m here to show you the way out of your biological family (if necessary) and into your own life by design.
So, I must be living the dream now, huh? Absolutely, my life is blessed (aside from all the shitty parts like everyone else), but let’s just say my expectations were a little off. When the essence of a lifelong dream unfolds, it doesn’t always look the way you think it will — sometimes in order to pursue your dreams you have to be open to it looking different than it did when you conceived it.
I used to think I had to trust and believe every thought that went through my head, which is so not true. Our minds are still set to prehistoric times; they still think danger lurks around every corner (and in some places in the world, it does). Fear conquers seemingly brilliant people and stifles their flame everyday, and it’s the saddest thing ever to witness. So many people sign up for a life of mediocrity and don’t even wake up to realize it until their life is halfway over.
These are the people I want to break through to. Yes, you who is waiting for the “right time” to ask your long-time partner you love to take the next step, and you who thinks you aren’t worthy of a raise at a company you’ve shown immense value to for years and years, and definitely you who doesn’t think you’re good enough to achieve and live your dream life. I’m here to motivate, inspire and lead a new generation of dream-achieving happy people.
So, here we begin. I hope I can lift, inspire and bring smiles and knowing head nods.